CBS Boss Responds to ‘Bull’ Renewal & Michael Weatherly Controversy
CBS recently renewed its legal procedural Bull for a fourth season and some viewers questioned the decision considering the controversy the show underwent earlier this year surrounding star Michael Weatherly. And now, the network’s bosses are speaking out.
The actor, who became a household name with his role as Tony DiNozzo on NCIS, was accused by former Bull costar Eliza Dushku of sexual harassment during her time with the series. Dushku received a $9.5 million settlement from CBS for her wrongful termination after reporting the alleged harassment, and she later detailed the situation in an op-ed for The Boston Globe.
Following the story, fans questioned the fate of the show, so when CBS renewed it last week, they were both surprised and happy that they wouldn’t have to say goodbye to the series. But not all were thrilled with the decision, and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment pulled out of producing the series for its impending fourth season.
CBS voiced their stance on the situation at its upfront presentation on Wednesday. “Michael made a mistake in his comments [to Dushku]. He owned that mistake. He was apologetic at the time, and he was remorseful,” said CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl.
“He was willing to take any kind of coaching or training we deem necessary for him to create a positive environment on the set,” he continued and revealed had took place.
“When we looked at the totality of the situation, we felt comfortable bringing Bull back on the air,” he said. “He’s a dad, he’s a father. He was upset by this. He wants to make it better.”
Time will tell whether the renewal will see a successful fourth season, but considering Weatherly’s rabid fanbase, the forecast seems fairly bright.
Bull, Season 4, Fall 2019, CBS
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R
"He's a dad, he's a father. He was upset by this."
He's lucky.
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C
The whole thing was BS. Eliza WHO? Good payday for her, though...............
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O
Really??? How can someone not know her?
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R
An accomplished actress. She called someone out for something that was over the line.
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G
I'm glad Bull is coming back. I like both Michael Weatherly & the show.
I thought this whole "scandal" was ridiculous. So he told an off color joke, so what. Claiming sexual harassment over crap like that only weakens the #metoo movement. If you can't handle a joke you need to get a tougher skin. You weren't grabbed, groped, or had your career threatened for not having sex with somebody. That is harassment. A joke isn't.
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O
"Weatherly was recorded on video making comments about spanking Dushku over his knee, soliciting a threesome, alluding to sexual assault in his "rape van," and other inappropriate remarks."
She was then fired when she complained. Not that you care about the facts.
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G
my question is....will Benny colon be back after he quit in the final episode..i dont like him anyway..hes too short
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C
Eliza (WHO??) got $9.5 MILLION dollars????? Where do I go to accuse someone of "something"?
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O
She freaking starred in two television shows, gained her fame from Buffy (ever hear of that show?), has been in 25 shows and 32 movies. The settlement amount was calculated to compensate Dushku for her loss of earnings from her planned promotion to series regular. Go away troll.
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C
From what I understand, Dushku started the whole thing with her off color joke, which was taken as an invitation by Weatherly. She baited him, and wanted a lot of money (which she did NOT deserve).
I say "good riddance to her, and on with the show!
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O
So you don't understand much. Nothing makes it ok to joke about a "rape van'. And the settlement amount was calculated to compensate Dushku for her loss of earnings from her planned promotion to series regular. So she actually did deserve it. She was wrongly fired.
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